Mets Finally Land Big Free Agent After Several Near-Misses

Steve Cohen got his smoke signal after all. 

Hours after losing free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers, the Mets agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with infielder Bo Bichette that includes a pair of opt-outs.

On Thursday, Cohen, the team’s owner, tweeted “Let me know when you see some smoke,” as he and other teams awaited a decision from Tucker, the top free agent available.  

Tucker spurned the Mets for the Dodgers and a reported four-year deal worth $240 million late Thursday night. 

With franchise player Francisco Lindor entrenched at shortstop, Bichette is reportedly expected to play third base, with Brett Baty headed to a utility role.

The deal with Bichette saved a Mets offseason that was looking like a dud just a year after the franchise signed Juan Soto to the richest contract in North American sports history. Prior to his signing, the team had struck out in free agency on Tucker, pitcher Ranger Suarez, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, and Michael King among others. 

Those misses came after Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns essentially moved on from much of the franchise’s core. He traded Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, and Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso left in free agency.

Prior to Friday, the Mets’ marquee additions were 35-year-old Marcus Semien, who was traded for Nimmo, closer Devin Williams—coming off a career-worst year with the Yankees—and Jorge Polanco, the Mariners outfielder who will now replace Alonso at first base. 

But not all of the Mets’ misses have been due to frugality or a lack of interest. 

Diaz signed with the Dodgers for a three-year deal worth $69 million, which is just $3 million more than the Mets offered, and reports indicated the team was willing to increase its offer. Diaz also reportedly wasn’t in favor of the Mets’ decision to fire longtime pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. 

Stearns, who previously ran the Brewers, tends to avoid longer contracts in favor of three- or four-year deals. 

On Thursday, Bichette and the Phillies were reportedly trending toward a seven-year deal worth $200 million, until the Mets swooped in with their three-year, $126 million offer. Stearns got Bichette on his terms. 

Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles to make him the highest-paid first baseman in baseball in terms of average annual value. The Mets never made a counteroffer for their franchise home run leader after seeing Alonso’s talks enter a territory they weren’t comfortable with. 

In Tucker’s case, the Mets offered him a four-year, $220 million deal with two opt-outs and a $75 million signing bonus, according to The Athletic. Tucker’s deal with the Dodgers was for $20 million more, and has $30 million deferred in addition to two opt-outs. 

With Bichette off the market, the outfielder Cody Bellinger remains the final free agent who the Mets have been linked to. But Bellinger is reportedly seeking more than the five-year, $150 million deal the Yankees offered to him, according to ESPN.  

That’s the kind of deal Stearns has spent the offseason avoiding. But with Bichette on board with a short-term deal, could the Mets outbid the Yankees to give the lineup one more bat?